Knight78
Well-Known Member
Iowa 79 Neb 65
And the award for the closest prediction goes to..... Hawknick!! (This prediction made at 3:20 on Saturday!)
Iowa 79 Neb 65
With my job, I spend most of my time televising games, so very seldom do I get the chance to get to one as a fan. Today I was fortunate enough to be able to sit and watch the Hawks play in person from the front row. So, just a few notes.
Iowa came in relaxed and loose, yet with a sense of purpose. Players were talking with each other before hand and encouraging everyone. Nebraska, on the other hand, came out stiff, tight and overly serious.
Lots of Iowa fans courtside from the moment the doors opened to take pics, talk to players, and just soak up the atmosphere. Zach McCabe was in attendance, as well. Just from looking around the arena, there were at least 100 gold clad fans in just the lower bowl. Couldn't get a decent count since a few had on black as well.
Fran was loose before the game, as were all the coaches. I was surprised after I saw the spread was only 1.5 pts. But they obviously knew something I, nor the odds makers didn't.
Nebraska fans are funny. Before the game all I heard from them was how they couldn't believe Iowa was favored. This was going to be Nebraska's game. 30 seconds in, Iowa's up 2-0 and I hear how Nebraska just can't play defense. 4-0, "Come on, learn to block out". 10-4, "we're not going to win another game this year."
But my favorite came when I looked at the scoreboard and saw fouls at 6 for Iowa and 2 for Nebraska. That was when one Husker fan stood up and yelled, "Come on, Ref, Call em both ways". Well, he got his wish. Nebraska got the next 3 or 4.
The look on Frans face as they left at halftime was priceless. Trying hard not to smile too big, but having a hard time as he looked at one of the assistants and said "Wow.
I loved how the entire bench jumped up and cheered for Ukah as he scored during mop up time. Of course, by that time a third of the fans had left, so it was like a morgue in there.
And remember how I said there were lots of fans before the game courtside. Probably twice as many after the game. The house staff was wondering what to do as they have never had a fan base stick around like that. Which is understandable as Iowa is the closest team to play in PBA, except for Creighton.
But it was very nice to witness Iowa giving Nebraska the biggest loss at Pinnacle Arena.
No. There are no awards handed out for the same prediction every game.And the award for the closest prediction goes to..... Hawknick!! (This prediction made at 3:20 on Saturday!)
Too long; still read anyway
So I owe Fran a quick apology because I'm certain he reads this board and in particular, my posts.
Frustrated with the collapse last year and seeing Nebraska make the actual NCAA tournament (not play in game) in a shorter time frame, I had stated multiple times that Fran's turnaround wasn't near as impressive as what Miles had done at Nebraska.
Turns out Tim Miles doesn't have it all figured out just yet.
It's amazing how players getting on a roll (whether it's a good one or bad) can affect how a coach looks. If Uthoff and Jok continue to hit shots and we win the rest of our games, Fran will be a genius.
As long as he continues that nasty little J.O. rotation, I'm not too worried about him being invited to join MENSA anytime soon. It's taken him 2-1/2 years to reduce his minutes down around 10 (which is still about 6 too many). That just barely qualifies him to get off the short bus.
Oglesby was a 40% 3 point shooter last year, everyone wants to ignore that.
in practice
Oglesby's 3-point stats:
2014-2015 21-76 27.6% (so far)
2013-2014 31-77 40.3%
2012-2013 42-156 26.9%
2011-2012 45-121 37.2%
Career Total 139-430 32.3%
So, your sarcastic comment aside, HawkeyeMike23 is absolutely correct. Oglesby shot 40% from three last year. And people do tend to forget that.
So I wanted to dig deeper into Josh's shooting percentages in conference play. Josh has taken 3 or more 3 pointers in 5 games.
OSU - 2/5
MN - 1/3
PUR - 1/4
NW - 2/6
RUT - 1/3
In 4 of the 5 games where Josh has attempted at least three 3 point shots he has shot 33% or higher. And in all 5 games he's made at least 1.
In 5 games he didn't even attempt a 3 pointer...NE, @ WI, WI, MN and @NE. It seems strange that he didn't get a 3 point shot off in either game against Nebraska and Wisconsin.
He didn't play against Maryland. He was 0-1 against MSU, OSU and MI.
So Oglesby needs to attempt at least three 3 point shots in a game to produce. I don't know if he's more confident in some games than others or what. I'm throwing some numbers out there...not really try to draw any conclusions.
Both Jok and Uthoff are shooting over 40% from 3 in conference games. So Oglesby (29.2% in conference) and everyone else on the team should be deferring to these two the vast majority of the time.
So I wanted to dig deeper into Josh's shooting percentages in conference play. Josh has taken 3 or more 3 pointers in 5 games.
OSU - 2/5
MN - 1/3
PUR - 1/4
NW - 2/6
RUT - 1/3
In 4 of the 5 games where Josh has attempted at least three 3 point shots he has shot 33% or higher. And in all 5 games he's made at least 1.
In 5 games he didn't even attempt a 3 pointer...NE, @ WI, WI, MN and @NE. It seems strange that he didn't get a 3 point shot off in either game against Nebraska and Wisconsin.
He didn't play against Maryland. He was 0-1 against MSU, OSU and MI.
So Oglesby needs to attempt at least three 3 point shots in a game to produce. I don't know if he's more confident in some games than others or what. I'm throwing some numbers out there...not really try to draw any conclusions.
Both Jok and Uthoff are shooting over 40% from 3 in conference games. So Oglesby (29.2% in conference) and everyone else on the team should be deferring to these two the vast majority of the time.
I love Oglesby; I just think we have much better options right now. Gesell, Clemmons and Jok should get ALL of the minutes at guard. Josh should only be in there if there is severe foul trouble. Jok's defense is getting better (he is very quick as well) so the argument that Oglesby is in there for defense doesn't really hold water.
He has been a great Hawkeye, but we need to play the best players to make the NCAA tournament. He isn't one of them and is not in the top 8 anymore